Jazz's Research
by ToothPasteCanyon
Summary: Reports coming in of magical creatures, in a small town called Gravity Falls. Jazz came to investigate, but she never imagined what she'd find.
1. Chapter 1

Jazz Fenton knew a lot about ghosts. Not only did she fight them out on the field, but she also read a lot about them online. There were plenty of sightings, rumors and reports out on the web, and her knowledge could weed out the fakes and get to the information extraordinarily fast.

Which was why a piece of scientific research from 30 years ago had caught her eye. Not only was its information on ghosts accurate to a t (complete with a 1-10 power scale), there were so many other magical creatures recorded in astonishing detail. This was all in a town called Gravity Falls, a town that actually existed.

Which was why for the summer after her high school graduation, she was heading over to investigate it herself. She'd have loved to take Danny, but…

"Sorry Jazz, I can't."

"Are you sure, Danny?" Jazz had asked as she folded the last few clothes into her suitcase. "I think a holiday would be good for you. You're balancing school, ghosthunting and keeping your identity secret, and you haven't had a break in years! I know it's all starting to build up, little bro!"

"How can you tell?"

"The dark circles under your eyes sorta gave it away."

Danny rubbed his eyes. "Look, I'd love to come, but I can't. Skulker's out for my pelt even more than ever and Technus upgraded himself to 4.0. Even the Box Ghost is coming back faster and faster; who's going to deal with them?"

"There's lots of people! Sam, Tucker, Valerie… even Vlad sometimes chips in these days."

"Still, I think there's something big coming. Sorry, Jazz, but I really can't come with you on your magical creature hunt; I've got enough creatures to deal with as is." Danny's ghost sense went off as soon as he finished his sentence, and he sighed. "Like right now."

"Okay, I understand." Jazz smiled sadly at him as he went ghost. "Just let me know if you ever change your mind."

Danny had agreed, and a few weeks later he was helping her pack up her final items in the Fenton RV. This was it.

"My Jazzy Princess, going off into the world to study ghosts!" Jack was wiping a tear from his eye. "Just like your old man!"

Jazz rolled her eyes, smiling. "Thanks, Dad, but I told you before it's actually magical creatures in general, not just ghosts."

"But… there will be ghosts, right?"

"Maybe. I don't know if there's even anything magical in Gravity Falls yet."

Maddie nodded. "That sounds so exciting! Make sure to document everything; you can always call me if you need advice on how to lay out all your research!"

"Okay, but you know the trip isn't actually for scientific research, right?"

"Still, make sure to keep notes!"

"And this Fenton Blaster, for the ghosts! Danny, put this in the front!"

"Okay, thanks," Jazz looked over to her brother. "You sure you don't want to come?"

Danny shook his head. "But if you get in any trouble, call me. I'll be there as fast as I can."

Jazz ruffled his hair. "Okay, you little hero. I'll be fine."

After saying her goodbyes, she was off. It was a beautiful day, the streets were clear, and before long she was cruising along the freeway, her GP set to Roadkill County, Gravity Falls.

What would she find there?

* * *

 **Please forgive the shortness, it's been a terrifying day. I hope everyone is keeping themselves safe.**


	2. Chapter 2

After a couple days on the road, staying in various motels as she went, Jazz arrived in Gravity Falls. She gasped as the hill gave way to show massive UFO-shaped cliffs, beautiful woodland and a quaint little town sheltered in the valley; it was beautiful, and very, very mysterious.

She drove down into the town and paused, wondering where her hotel was in the confusing streets. Seeing an old man walk by, she rolled down her window to ask.

"Excuse me, sorry, I'm new here. Do you know-"

The old man pointed at the ghost blaster sitting on the dashboard. "Say, is that an ectoplasmic death ray?"

Jazz blinked. "A what?"

"An ectoplasmic death ray. See, I'm building a giant robot for this little nine year old, and I was a-lookin' for one of those! How many used spittoons are you's willing to trade for it?"

"Uh… sorry, it's not for sale." A pause. "It's my dad's."

Not that Jack would care if it was lost, but it was a good excuse.

"Ah, right, I see where yer comin' from! My raccoon wife gave me this bite on my finger, and I'd never clean it for no money! Gone a pretty shade of green, see?"

Jazz paid the old man a swift goodbye and drove off. After a little more driving around, she finally arrived at what looked like her hotel at the end of a dirt road far from the town, almost underneath the UFO-shaped cliffs. She pulled up by the building and walked in.

"Fenton?" The man said as they checked in. "Oh, yeah, you're my first customer who's ever booked six months in advance! Freak."

"Uh..."

"Anyway, your room comes with a free Gideon badge! Don't lose it; those things are so expensive at the gift shop."

Jazz took the badge of this strange pale child in a suit with a polite smile; this town was _weird_. She pinned it to her chest. "Thank you so much, sir. I'm uh, I'm gonna go to my room now."

She went upstairs to check out her living quarters, which was surprisingly nice. The next hour was spent unloading the RV and arranging her stuff the way she wanted. Once she had done that, it was time to pick up a notebook and pencil and go looking for some magical creatures.

She walked out of the hotel and headed right into the forest, excited for what she'd find. It was a good day for walking; the sun was just beginning to fall in the sky, casting ever-changing little patterns through the trees which rustled in the breeze. The ground was firm and dry, the air was fresh, and she made great progress.

"Hey!" Jazz stopped in her tracks as she heard a voice. Another person out in the woods? "Hey, you there. No, down here!"

Jazz looked down, and let out a yelp at the sight of a little man in a bathtub of squirrels. "Yeah you, carrot."

"A gnome?" Jazz gaped at the red hat; just like she had read about!

"That's right, human. And… could you please stop looking? I thought you guys had a sense of privacy!"

"Sorry, sorry!" She backed away, eyes up, and continued walking. If everything she had read was really true, then there was a lot more magic to see in Gravity Falls.

As luck would have it, Jazz had quite a day in the magical world. She came across satyrs, eye bats… even a giant monster that introduced himself as the Multibear. He invited her to tea at his cave, but she politely refused; she'd have to get home soon before it got dark.

Really, most of the 'monsters' she met were very humanlike and civil. Jazz had said she wasn't here to do research, but it might be worth interviewing some creatures, doing a small study on how their thinking differed from humans, if at all. Yes, that would make for a very interesting Psychology-

 _Boom_! An earsplitting explosion jerked Jazz right out of her thoughts. Bright blue light streamed out through the trees and a rush of wind blew her hair into her face.

"What was that?" She wiped her hair away and began running back into town. Whatever had just happened was no small event; she could see the smoke rising high in the sky, thick and black like a forest fire.

Was the forest on fire? Jazz didn't know, but it was all the more reason to run. She tore through the forest, getting closer and closer to the hotel, pushed past a bush and-

Nearly fell down the side of a massive crater, in the centre of which was some sort of giant smoking robot. Her hotel? Nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, no, no, no… My stuff!" Jazz gripped her temples. "What happened?!"

"Gideon!" A redheaded, burly man growled as he stomped past her.

"I've got to, um, find another hotel! Wait, I don't have any money. Maybe I could sleep in- no, the car's gone too." Jazz frantically felt in her pockets. "I left my phone in the hotel? Oh, this is just perfect. Maybe I could ask somebody for their phone..."

Jazz looked around, but the entire area had cleared out. The only thing she could see was an old sign, lit with one flickering light that stood out against the dark evening light.

It read: _Mystery Shack ½ mile._

And: _Has a phone, a toilet and a drinking fountain (free?)_


	3. Chapter 3

Half a mile? Usually not a problem for Jazz. Half a mile in the dark after a day of walking, with the knowledge that all her stuff had been destroyed by some robot? That was a problem.

By the time she got there, the sight of the darkened windows were almost enough to make her scream in frustration.

"Deep breaths," Jazz steadied herself; years of living with her parents had been a good lesson in the importance of keeping a level head. "Maybe I can just sleep outside until the morning? It'll be like camping."

A wolf howled not so far in the distance, and then another. And then a pigeon cooed… ominously.

Jazz scurried up to the door. "Okay, maybe not. I'm sure under the circumstances these people will understand… Hey, what's going on?"

Something had caught her eye in the window; an old man typing something into a vending machine. At this time of night that was certainly unusual, but then the vending machine opened up into some kind of secret door.

"What the…?" As she looked, the old man turned and locked eyes with her. His eyes widened, and with a speed she hadn't expected he raced to answer the door.

"What are you doing here?" The man barked, waving a baseball bat in her face. "The Mystery Shack is closed! Private property, get lost!"

"Sorry, sorry! I know that, just… I need to borrow your phone."

"My phone? What is this, a prank or somethin'?"

"No, I can explain! I was staying at this inn in Gravity Falls, and it got destroyed by this giant robot - does that happen a lot here? Anyway, all my things were destroyed, and, that includes my phone, so," She clapped her hands together in a pleading gesture. "I would just really appreciate if I could borrow yours to call home."

A strange expression crossed the old man's face, and he lowered the baseball bat. "Alright, come in, but don't touch anything. And take that Gideon badge off; they're hidden cameras."

Jazz picked the badge off with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Mr…"

"Pines." Mr Pines turned on a light and motioned to the front desk, where there was a phone. "Keep it down, okay? My grandkids are asleep upstairs."

Jazz nodded and picked up the phone, quickly dialing the home phone. Mr Pines crossed the room to lean on the vending machine as she spoke.

The phone picked up. "FentonWorks, who is this?"

"Mom, it's me."

"Jazz? Honey, it's great to hear from you, but it's also-"

"The middle of the night, I know." Jazz twirled the phone line around her finger. "Where's Danny?"

"He's asleep. Is there something you need?"

"Actually, there is. You're not going to believe this but all my stuff was… destroyed. In an explosion."

" _What_?" Jazz jerked away from the phone; that shout was so loud Mr Pines had to have heard it. "Oh, when I find the ghost that tried to hurt my daughter…"

"It wasn't a ghost, mom. And I'm fine. I just don't have a car, or a phone… or money." A pause. "Really, I'm fine. I'll work it out, but I'd really appreciate if you could come and pick me up."

"I'll be on my way as soon as possible!" Maddie said. "But the trip to Oregon takes several days. Please stay safe, won't you Jazz?"

"I'll be fine, Mom. I'll drive, no, I'll… I'll work something out, I promise. Love you, bye." Jazz put down the phone and stood there for a moment, a frown on her face as she thought.

Mr Pines cleared his throat. "Nowhere to stay, huh? You know, I don't really do this, ever, but we do have a spare room."

"Really?" Jazz put on a polite smile. "Oh, thank you sir, but I don't think staying with strangers-"

"Sheesh, kid, I'm not gonna hurt ya!" Mr Pines crossed his arms. "I just, I've been on the streets myself a few times and I wouldn't sleep easy if I didn't try to help. Anyway, do you want somewhere to stay or not?"

Jazz nodded; she was exhausted, and the thought of a bed was very appealing. Besides, Mr Pines seemed genuine enough… as genuine as an old man living in an old shack, with a secret underground passage, in the middle of the woods, could be.

You know what, she just wasn't gonna think about it.

"Then come with me." He started to move, then stopped and stabbed a finger at the vending machine. "Oh, and on one condition. This, stays a secret. Tell nobody; not your family, not my grandkids who you're bound to see in the morning, _nobody_. You promise?"

"Promise." She'd kept weirder secrets. Jazz shook the offered hand.

"Good. I'll show you the room now; it's a little dusty and filled with some nerd stuff, but it should be alright for three days. What did you say your name was again?"

"My name's Jazz."

"What, like the music?"

"It's short for Jasmine, but the nickname kind of stuck."

* * *

That Mr Pines didn't know what he was talking about; the spare room was great! It had a long, comfortable red couch, a desk… really the only thing it seemed to be missing was a carpet.

Literally. There was an outline in the dust of a carpet that had been removed, for whatever reason.

"So, uh, welcome! Step right up, to this room… it's terrible, but it'll do. Breakfast… is whenever, so make yourself at home. Don't murder us in our sleep, like all the midnight guests in the movies do."

Jazz laughed nervously. He was joking, right? "Haha, you don't have to worry about that! Anyway, thanks, Mr Pines."

"Yeah, yeah. Goodnight."

After he left, Jazz collapsed onto the couch, exhausted. She quickly fell asleep, drifting off into a world of dreams…

 _She was in Amity Park. Ghosts and humans alike were screaming, fleeing away from the FentonWorks building._

 _She was in her living room._

 _She was in the kitchen._

 _She was in the basement. The Ghost portal was ablaze in painful, rainbow colours, and all she could hear was the sound of gleeful cackling. Hands shot out and grabbed Danny, pulling him into the portal while she could only watch._

 _Then the hands came for her, and she_

Shot up, heart pounding in her chest, her hair frazzled and hanging in front of her face. Daylight streamed into her room, and she took a deep breath.

"It was just a dream, phew. Just a weird, weird dream."


End file.
